General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, has dismissed allegations by the Minority in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, that President John Dramani Mahama is attempting to suppress free speech and weaken political opposition in the country.

Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV on May 20, 2026, Fifi Kwetey described the accusations as exaggerated and politically sensationalised.

According to him, Ghana’s democratic journey since the start of the Fourth Republic in 1993 demonstrates significant progress in protecting free expression and democratic participation.

“You know, we’ve been on this journey now since 1993. That’s been quite a thing the Minority has had to do. But sometimes our friends tend to be a little bit too sensational in the way they approach things,” he stated.

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Kwetey acknowledged that Ghana’s democracy is still evolving but insisted that the country has made substantial strides over the years.

“It’s still not a perfect journey, but I think as a country we really have made a lot of progress,” he said.

He rejected suggestions that President Mahama is the type of leader who would deliberately attempt to silence critics or weaken opposition voices.

“To say that a personality like John Dramani Mahama is somebody who literally is trying to emasculate an opposition, to be honest, even the persona of John Mahama… people who have dealt closely with him know that is not who he is,” he remarked.

The NDC General Secretary further claimed that even Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin understands President Mahama’s character and leadership style.

“I can tell you my own good friend Afenyo-Markin, who is the Minority Leader, in his heart knows that the persona of John Mahama is not a personality who will be trying to emasculate or prevent people from really expressing themselves,” he stated.

Fifi Kwetey, however, urged Ghanaians and political actors to continue respecting state institutions and upholding the rule of law while engaging in democratic discourse.

He suggested that some political statements are often driven by the nature of partisan politics rather than objective reality.

“As I said, sometime in this game of politics people have to say what they’ve got to say,” he added.

The comments come amid ongoing political tensions and claims by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) that some of its members have been targeted over comments critical of the government following arrests of some of its members including the NPP Bono Chairman, Abronye DC.

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Fifi Fiavi Kwetey has dismissed claims by the Minority in Parliament that President John Dramani Mahama is suppressing free speech, describing the allegations as “too sensational.”

Speaking in an interview, the National Democratic Congress General Secretary urged respect for… pic.twitter.com/uzmVR2T0hI

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